Killorn, Alexander

Three players drafted by the Lightning last month have been placed on protected lists for USHL clubs.

Sunday, July 1 was a USA Hockey roster cut down date and USHL teams, which had been carrying 30-man active rosters at the time, had to cut down to 25 players. USHL teams will be allowed to carry 25 players until the final reduction date of September 30 when they have to drop down to their 23-man active roster.

(The Suburban) Beaconsfieldâ€™s Alex Killorn became the highest selected Lac St. Louis Tiger in the National Hockey Leagueâ€™s entry draft held last Friday and Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, when the Tampa Bay Lightning chose the 6-foot 161-pound center in the third round, 77th overall.

â€œWe (the family) were watching the draft on the NHL network and when I heard my name being called I couldnâ€™t believe it,â€ Killorn said. â€œI got so excited and then the phone calls started to come. At least I knew it was true and the guys werenâ€™t trying to punk me. Getting selected by Tampa Bay was a real honor. They have such a great organization, I feel really fortunate.â€

Remind me next year to order Red Line three weeks before draft day instead of two...

Anyway, looking through Red Line's draft guide there are a lot of positives for the Lightning coming out of this draft. Here's how they had the picks the Lightning took rated and, where given, the short blurb about each: